Harbor Springs city council met Monday evening to discuss improvement plans for the municipal airport, water reliability projects, and the potential for Harbor Springs residents to get their library services from Alanson Area Public Library.

Potential new library services

HARBOR SPRINGS -- Harbor Springs residents may soon look to the Alanson Area Public Library for some of their library services, a move discussed at the Harbor Springs city council meeting Monday night.

Currently, Harbor Springs residents can hold a library card to Petoskey Public Library, said city manager Tom Richards, which the city of Harbor Springs subsidizes at a cost of $20 per library card holder.

But a rise in cost of those services at the Petoskey library has the city of Harbor Springs eyeing a similar and less expensive agreement with Alanson.

And whether Harbor Springs residents would have library services through Alanson rests, in part, with the Harbor Springs Area District Library board, said Richards. The district library board has been trying to drum up support for a district library, which would be in addition to the privately-funded library already in downtown Harbor.

"Until they've successfully passed a millage to fund a district library for the Harbor Springs area or until they've determined they won't be holding a millage election, the district library will take over that responsibility (of providing library services), or the board will be dissolved."

Should the Harbor Springs Area District Library board be dissolved, the city will determine where Harbor Springs residents will have their library services.

"The Petoskey Public Library has been changing the requirements for that, and now their requirements are higher and would be a much more costly option to continue to offer to Harbor Springs residents," said Richards. "The decision seems to be between Petoskey, which is dramatically higher, or Alanson, which is offering similar services at more of a historic cost."

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Water reliability projects

Harbor Springs City Council authorized the sale of bonds to fund several water reliability projects that will take place throughout the spring, early summer and fall in Harbor Springs.

"This happens on a regular basis," said city manager Tom Richards. "Unless we have that (amount of money for the projects) sitting aside in cash, which is rare, we have to borrow to finance these projects over a longer period of time."

The projects, which include replacing water and sewer mains throughout downtown Harbor Springs and some residential areas, were slated to begin April 2, when the city council expected the ground to have thawed enough to begin construction.

"We never imagined that two weeks before April 2, it would feel like summer," said Richards. "As it turns out, construction vehicles are coming to town and waiting for the green light."

Considering that city council approved an early completion incentive for the construction companies working on the downtown projects so as to interfere with the business district's busy season as little as possible, the construction companies are eager for the go-ahead, said Richards.

The city will host three informational meetings for business owners and residents who will be affected by the projects.

The first two meetings are 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, March 26 and 27, at city hall, 160 Zoll St. The third meeting is 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, at the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society's museum.

The meetings will focus on construction projects involving Glen Drive and Traverse Street on Monday, the downtown district on Tuesday, and the Bluff Drive and Harbor Street projects Wednesday.

Harbor Springs Municipal Airport

Harbor Springs City Council discussed a few changes at the Harbor Springs Municipal Airport during Monday night's council meeting.

One of the discussion points concerned housecleaning: the council considered maintenance and improvements to the airport ramp.

"To keep our status as a functioning and attractive airport, we're required to have a multi-year plan as to what we need to do to maintain and make improvements to our airport," said Harbor Springs city manager Tom Richards.

Airports the size of Harbor Springs are largely funded by the state department of transportation, aeronautics division, said Richards. And because the airport is a smaller one, used more by private pilots as opposed to commercial airlines, it can use state and federal money to improve its grounds.

Discussed was a plan to improve the taxiways and areas close to the terminal where airplanes can be parked and serviced.

Too, the board considered the lease of the old terminal building for the business Sky Dive Harbor Springs.

"It turns out we've learned they're actually managing a similar service at several other airports, but are doing it out of the Harbor Springs airport remotely," said Richards. "They've expressed an interest in leasing an old airport terminal that was moved out of two years ago."

The business is interested in a long-term lease of 25 years, and leasing it would include the business improving the building and continuing to keep it maintained.